i think i'm going to send in my deposit for USF and stop waiting for Hastings already. i know about rankings and all of that, but USF's international law program fits almost EXACTLY with what i want, and i feel that through that program i'll probably get more hands on experience in the legal arena i'm interested in than i would going to Hastings or Davis.

so right now i'm stuck deciding between USF and UC Davis, and waiting for a repsonse from Hastings. I know that without Hastings, the obvious choice is UC Davis, but recently, I haven't been so sure. I don't know if anyone else is wondering this, but I thought I'd post it just in case it could help someone else.

I want to study international law, particularly international human rights and/or international criminal law. i've been emailing both USF and Davis about both programs, and honestly, USF's program sounds better! Here's the response (with links) that I got from Alan Guerrero for anyone interested:

this isn't to say that Davis' program isn't awesome; their faculty are doing some AMAZING things. Here's the response I got from Kevin Johnson, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs:

We have a truly excellent international law curriculum!! Professor Diane Amann, an excellent teacher and winner of the law school's Distinguished Teaching Award, teaches both international human rights and international criminal law. She also is a SUPER scholar. Check her out on the webpage at www.law.ucdavis.edu

Diane often is quoted in the LA Times on various international human rights and international criminal justice matters, such as the Saddam Hussein trial. She has written articles on Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib as well.

Professor Anupam Chander, Madhavi Sunder, Lisa Pruitt, and Bill Hing also have done work in this area. i suggest looking them up on the website.

so i think i'm leaning towards USF law, but i'm still worried about the rankings. i've gotten in to higher ranked schools both in and out of the bay area, but USF seems to be a better all around package. i want to study international law, and was wondering if anyone had any idea what the international law program at USF was like (reputation, success rate of students, anything...). and what's your opinions on rankings affecting this area of law (as it's not really an employed-by-a-firm kind of field)?